Firefighters Mourn Beloved Dog

New York’s Ladder 20 is paying tribute to a very special
Dalmatian who had resided at the firehouse since the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Seven members of Ladder 20 died at the World Trade Center that day. Days later, two sheriffs from Rochester, New York, arrived at the station with a
Dalmatian puppy named Twenty. “She became our mascot and companion,”
Lieutenant Gary Lorio said of Twenty, who died Tuesday. “She really helped to build the morale in the years following 9/11. I can’t say enough about what she did to help us. She went on all the runs, she’d jump in the truck, stick her head out the window and bark. She became a local celebrity.” Those who’d met Twenty shared their memories on Facebook. “My next door neighbor, Sandra R., is one of the Monroe Co. Sheriffs who showed up with this puppy,” wrote Lisa Woodhouse Baker. “I remember Sandra telling me about the flight to NYC … the flight attendants found out where she was headed and why and she became a celebrity on that flight.” It’s clear she’ll be missed by many people who’s lives she touched in nearly 15 years. “Today, Twenty has taken her final run to Heaven. Rest in peace, man’s best friend,” Lorio said. — Read it at
AKC.org

Manatee May Lose Endangered Status

The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the manatee should no longer be classified as endangered because its population has rebounded, especially in Florida. The sea cows have been protected for nearly 50 years after being killed due to overhunting and collisions with boats. In the first aerial survey of the population in 1991, about 1,200 manatees were counted in Florida. Now, 25 years later, there are more than 6,300 in Florida and an estimated 13,000 when the rest of its range is included. In the FWS’s proposal, the manatee’s status would be downgraded to threatened. — Read it from
Agence France Presse via Yahoo

Crews Pull 700-Pound Horse From Pool

Firefighters in Upshur County, Texas, had to use all their strength — and their firetruck — to hoist a horse from his owner’s swimming pool on Wednesday. The owner wasn’t home when a neighbor noticed one horse stuck in the pool while three other horses surrounded it. With the horse “shivering pretty badly,” five firefighters and two sheriff deputies pulled him out, using recovery straps attached to the firetruck. It’s unclear how the horse found himself in the pool, but he’s safe now. — See photos at
Today

Fisherman Reunited With Dog

A fisherman in Australia jumped for joy and cried as he was reunited with the dog he’d feared dead on Wednesday. The fisherman thought he’d lost Jack when his boat capsized off Victoria, but when water police towed it back to the dock hours later, the
dog was safe and sound on the vessel. News cameras captured the emotional moment that the man picked up his dog and shouted, “I got him!” He hugged the small
dog, repeating, “He’ll be alright, he’ll be alright.” — Watch it at Australia’s
9 News Perth via Facebook

Famed Cat Returns to Grocery Store Shelves

You might remember Olly, the
cat who made himself at home in the middle of a
candy shelf at a London supermarket in November. Well, he’s back to his old tricks! This time, he’s taking more control of the situation from a higher perch. New photos on social media show him glaring down at customers from the top of a refrigerated shelf, and they’ve gone viral. “Cat of Sainsbury's, Mantle Road, continues reign of terror,”
Tweeted @CatsofBrockley with the photo. The feline has a happy home next door to the grocery store, and delights customers when he shows up, despite the sometimes grumpy look on his face. — See photos at the U.K.’s
Independent